Water Authority Utilizes Dynamics GP to Track Water Usage and Manage Finances

The Southwest Water Authority (SWA) was established in 1991 by the North Dakota State Legislature to oversee the Southwest Pipeline Project. The pipeline was built to transport raw water from Lake Sakakawea to Dickinson where it is treated and delivered to rural customers in southwest North Dakota.

Since that time, the Southwest Water Authority has relied on Microsoft Dynamics GP to help them manage their business and serve their customers, which includes 33 communities, more than 7,000 rural customers, 23 contract customers, 21 raw-water customers, 2 rural water systems, 3 crew camps, and 2 raw water depots to serve the oil industry.

SWA also implemented Diamond Municipal Solutions, which integrates directly with Microsoft Dynamics GP, to manage utility billing, meter and reading management, work orders, payment and collections, adjustments, and more. Diamond tracks the water usage for each customer so they know exactly what to charge each customer each month.

Additionally, they utilize Payroll, HR, Payables, and Fixed Assets within Microsoft Dynamics GP. Sandy Burwick, CFO for SWA, said she appreciates that GP allows them to drill down into expenses and get an easy, in-depth view into their finances, including actual vs. budget. That gives her the power to quickly view where their money is going.

As they have continued to grow over the years, Microsoft Dynamics GP has been able to grow with them to support managing a substantial increase in employees and customers. Watch the video and hear more from Sandy about their use of Microsoft Dynamics GP.